Improvement in towel-racks



lUNITnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.I

WILLIAM H. MERRITT AND FRANK A. EOKENFELS, oF MANTsTEE, MICH.

IMPRovEMENT IN TowEL-RAcKs.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 191,989, dated June l2, 1877; application filed March 24, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. MERRITT and FRANK A. EoKENFELs, of Manistee, in the county of Manistee and State of Michigan,

have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Towel-Racks; and We do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specication, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to towel-racks.; and consists in the construction and arrangement hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a longitudinal vertical section of our towelrack, and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view ot' the same.

In the accompanying drawings, A designates the back or support of my towel-rack, and'B a semicircular block, extending forward from the lower part of the same. Said block or half-disk Bis provided on its periphery with radial recesses b, that allow the play of towel-supporting bars G, as the latter are raised from a horizontal into an upright position, 01 lowered from an upright to a horizontal position. Said bars C are pivoted at theiry lower ends on a bent rod, D, that is attached by eyes d to the. under side of said block or halfdisk B. When raised into an upright position their upper ends are grasped and held by spring-jaws E, formed ot' wire, and attached to the outer edge of a smaller block or half-disk, F, also secured to back A. There are a pair ot' these spring jaws or clamps, E, for each towel-holding arm or bar C, and they serve to retain said bars in such a position that they will not interfere with passers-by, u

or occupy room unnecessarily.

Fig. 3 shows one ot' these pairs of spring clamps orjaws in detail. The dotted lines in Fig. l indicate the position of one ofthe bars C when turned down for holding towels. The rear end ot' each bar G, when in this position, engages with a shoulder, G, at the back of its recess b, so as to prevent said bar from falling below a horizontal posit-ion'. Y

Back or support A may be attached to a wall or Wash-stand, or arranged in any other convenient manner.

We are aware that a clothes-rack consisting of a back having an upper bracket, provided with spring-clips, and a lower bracket having arms pivoted to a wire, has heretoforebeen employed, and We therefore lay no claim to such invention.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A clothes-rack consisting of the back A, .i

having the upper bracket F, provided with the spring wire clamps E, made in one piece, bent spirallyat their middle parts with straight projecting ends, and the lower bracket B,`

having' recess b, shoulders G, and bent rod D, to which the bars C are pivoted, the whole constructed, arranged, and operating in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the above we have hereunto subscribed our names in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MERRITT. l FRANK A. EGKENFELS.

Witnesses:

G. A. HART, A. J. HAMMOND. 

